Love Prevails
by depplove
Summary: When Sean and Emma meet again at a Degrassi reunion, old sparks ignite. Did fate lead them together? Will their love prevail after all?
1. Chapter 1: So We Meet Again

Chapter 1: So We Meet Again

"I was walking in Memphis

I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

I was walking in Memphis

But do I really feel the way I feel?"

- Marco Cohn, "Walking in Memphis"

I looked in the mirror, smoothing the ruffles in my shirt. My hair looked okay, dirty blonde and straight, like usual. I smiled to make sure I had nothing in my teeth, and saw only white.

I can't believe I'm doing this; I really wonder who I'll meet again. I decided on a purple tank top and a white skirt.I grabbed my Louis Vuitton bag and headed out.

I can barely walk in these. I peered down at my 4-inch platform flip-flops. I climbed into my dark blue Volkswagen Convertible Beetle and drove out of the garage.

I absentmindedly drummed my fingers on the steering wheel and turned on the radio. Why am I so nervous?

It took about a half an hour to get to the school. I really can't believe that I'm about to walk into my old high school. It's almost… scary. I parked my car in the familiar bus area and slowly got out. I walked up to the door and took a deep breath. I'll be okay. I pushed the handle and it creaked open slowly, almost painfully.

I smelled roasted chicken; there must be a banquet in the caf. I walked down the halls, and the clattering sound of my shoes seemed to strangely vibrate off the walls, making it seem louder than it actually was. When I opened the doors to the lunchroom, I nearly felt paralyzed. I saw a man standing at the other end of the room, a very familiar looking man.

"Emma!" Sean Cameron was looking as shocked as I felt.

"S-Sean," I tried to say calmly, walking over to him.

"You've… changed," he said, his eyes wandering from my newly brown-with-blonde-highlights hair to my chest. I crossed my arms.

"Yeah, you have too." He was as muscular as ever and still had the same shocking blue eyes as he did in high school. His hair was a bit longer and lighter than it always has been. He looked a lot more mature, though, and… I hate to say it, but… really cute.

"So… how's everything been going?" he asked curiously.

"Fine, and you?" I was not being very talkative, but inside, I was ready to burst. I was talking to the man that broke my heart years ago. It was really overwhelming, and I looked around the room, trying to find something else to do. I spotted my ex-best friend.

"EMMA!" She saw me at the same exact time and rushed over to hug me.

"Manny!" I sputtered; she almost knocked me flat down to the floor. I held her out at shoulder's length. "You look… amazing!"

She truly did. She looked similar, but even more beautiful. Her shiny, black hair gleamed so much that it almost hurt my eyes, and she was so curvy that I was jealous, and I admit it. She reminded me of Catherine Zeta-Jones, she was _that_ pretty.

"Nah, you look better," she laughed. "I can't believe we're actually seeing each other again!"

"Yeah," I smiled, and turned my attention back towards Sean. He was looking a bit uncomfortable, I could tell. "Sorry," I blushed.

"What? Oh, it's alright," he replied. He seemed to be zoning out, possibly remembering old school memories. His crystal-clear eyes looked cloudy for once.

"Sean?" I asked gently.

"I'm… I'm fine," his eyes slid back into focus, and they seemed to bore through me. "It's just that… I'm sorry about what happened back then. I really didn't mean to… to do that to you. It was wrong and… I'd like to be friends again."

I smiled… it was too sweet not to. "Me too."

"Oh, you guys are SO cute!" Manny cried, watching us with a clueless smile.

We stared at her.

"What?"

Sean shook his head and leaned in a bit closer to me. "Do you know anywhere where we could talk… in private?" he whispered.

I shrugged and pointed to the door.

"Manny, we'll be right back," he said to her, and gently put his hand on my shoulder. For some reason, I was surprised that he would do this. When we were out of the cafeteria, he looked down at his shoes.

"I was wondering if… if… y-you… God," he said, laughing nervously, "I can't talk today."

I giggled. "That's okay. What were you going to say?"

"Oh, yeah," he looked up at me, his cheeks flushed. "Do you remember The Dot?"

I nodded.

"It's still open, you know," he said. "Do you want to have lunch with me there… someday?"

I smiled. He hadn't changed a bit since high school when it comes to asking someone out. "Sure."

He looked much more relaxed after that, and gave me a small smile. "You probably have a new phone number, right?"

I laughed. "Yeah…" I groped in my purse for a piece of paper and a pen. I found one and wrote my phone number on it, tearing off a bit for him to give me _his_ number. I handed him the pen. "Now it's your turn."

He scribbled it down and we traded numbers. "You know, maybe we should go back the caf," he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

"Let's go," I replied, walking towards the door. As we walked, I could feel his hand brush against my waist. I smiled to myself.


	2. Chapter 2: Dance with Me

Chapter 2: Dance with Me

"So get back, back, back to where we lasted

Just like I imagine

I could never feel this way

So get back, back, back to the disaster

My heart's beating faster

Holding on to feel the same."

- Sugarcult, "Memory"

"Emma, you look so good!" Craig Manning said, grinning down at me. He'd gotten so tall.

"So do you," I said, smiling back. "I haven't seen in you in… forever."

He laughed and gave me a quick one-armed hug. "Me neither."

Manny saw him and jogged over. Craig seemed to be more interesting than Toby Isaacs, who she was talking to before and who used to have a crush on me years ago. Ugh.

"Craig," she purred, grabbing his arm. "I've missed you."

I restrained myself from rolling my eyes. Ever since Craig had gotten her pregnant years ago, she hasn't left him alone... Until she never saw him again after high school. Now that she's seen him, it'll probably be like old days… Her chasing after him, him not being able to decide between her and someone else.

Coincidentally enough, Ashley Kerwin came into view. She took one look at Manny hanging off of Craig and turned around, heading for the door.

"Ash, wait!" Craig called after her, but it was too late. The door was swinging lifelessly. He shrugged Manny off and pushed the door open, rushing after her. Manny was sneering in the door's direction. I didn't want to get involved (which is very unlike me), so I shuffled off to the refreshments table.

"Can you bah-LIEVE him?" she raged, coming over and crossing her arms. "He just—"

"Manny, please," I said, getting myself a cup of Coke. "You should work it out on your own."

She raised her eyebrows. "This is _so _unlike you. What's up?"

I sighed and fully turned to her. "Listen, I—"

"Emma, tell me."

I hesitated.

"Well?"

I frowned. "Should I trust him?"

"Who, Sean?" she laughed. "Of course. Just forgive him, he seems so sweet now."

"But I still don't know. I mean… We've had a pretty rocky relationship."

"But that was years ago. You should just let it go." She smiled at me. "And besides… he's so much cuter now!"

I punched her arm playfully. "You have no idea." I laughed.

She giggled. "Well, the party is going to start soon. You should totally ask him to dance!"

I shrugged. "I don't know, I don't think he likes dancing."

"Oh, what the hell! Ask him anyway!" Manny grinned.

I smiled. "I guess so."

"You're going to ask him, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I will," I said, laughing. "Just leave me alone!"

She giggled. "Okay, I need to put my makeup on again before the party starts."

"Manny," I said, staring at her, "you don't need to. You look perfect already."

"Well, my lip gloss is starting to smear."

I laughed. "Whatever you say," I said, linking arms with her and heading to the bathroom.

When we got there, she spent about half an hour making her hair perfect.

"Come _on,_ let's go! We're going to be late!" I pulled her arm.

"Wait!" she cried, patting the top of her head to get the invisible cowlicks down.

I finally pulled her out of the bathroom and into the gym. There was a huge banner hanging up that said, "WELCOME BACK, DEGRASSI GRADUATES!", and smaller streamers were all around the walls. There was a complete music setup with a DJ. Wait… I recognize that DJ!

"Chris!" I yelled from across the room, running over to him. "Chris! It's me!"

"Emma! What's up?" he beamed, taking his headphones off and putting them around his neck.

"Chris, when was the last time we saw each other?" I smiled at him.

He grinned back. "I dunno, but it was a while ago." He kissed me on the cheek.

I laughed. "It's cool that you're still DJ-ing, and after all these years."

He nodded, scratching a disk. His headphones were back on.

I walked over to a chair by one of the walls where other people were sitting down.

"We're seeing so many people from such a long time ago." Manny said, sitting down next to me.

"Manny, we only graduated a few years ago," I reminded her, keeping an eye out for Sean.

"Still," she said, eyeing Craig maliciously as he passed her, trying to talk to an impatient Ashley.

I saw Sean and stood up. His face was ashen, and he was staring at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Chris kissed you," he replied.

"Sean," I said, "it was on the cheek. We haven't seen each other in a really long time, and we're friends. That's all. Okay?"

He nodded. "Would you like to dance?"

I raised my eyebrows, surprised. "I was going to ask you, but… okay."

He smiled, taking my hand. "You were?"

I nodded and smiled back.

We danced for a while and saw Paige and Spinner, still together after all these years. That brought a smile to my face, but seeing Manny still chase after Craig brought a frown. I just don't understand her and her ways sometimes.

As a slow dance song came on, she finally got Craig to dance with her, after some very heavy persuading. I gazed at Sean, who was right in front of me.

"Do you... want to dance?" I said. I can't believe I worked up the nerve to say that!

He just smiled and put his arms around my waist. As I draped my arms over his shoulders, I could feel the old spark that brought us together in the first place. It was a warm feeling, and a good one.

After slow dancing for a while, he pulled away from me a little bit. We shared a long, sweet kiss.


	3. Chapter 3: Comfort in His Hands

Chapter 3: Comfort in his Hands

"Baby you're all that I want

When you're lyin' here in my arms

I'm findin' it hard to believe

We're in heaven

And love is all that I need

And I found it there in your heart

It isn't too hard to see

We're in heaven."

- Bryan Adams, "Heaven"

I still could barely keep myself from shaking when I got back to my apartment. The way his blue-green eyes bore into mine; the way fingers gently caressed my sides while we danced; the way his dirty blonde hair was perfectly soft and touchable. It sent a shiver up my spine just thinking about it.

I parked my car, but stayed inside for a minute. I flexed my fingers, which were still on the steering wheel. _Stay calm,_ I told myself. _Don't lose it when you go in._

"NAT!" I screeched, bursting through the creaking apartment door. "NAT! I SAW SEAN!"

"What?" Nat said, looking at me as if I were psycho. "You saw who? Huh?" Her perfectly tweezed eyebrows were furrowed together, creating a small crease in the middle of them.

"Sean!" I said breathlessly, slamming the door behind me. "I saw him! Remember, I told you about him," I insisted, "He went to my high school. We went out for a while!"

Nat's face lit up instantly. "Oh, yeah! That hot guy you were talking about a while ago, right?"

I rolled my eyes and sat down on my bed. Natalie, Nat for short, was my roommate. We had been friends ever since we had both started at Toronto's School for Veterinarian Studies last year. We are now sophomores at VSTS, and loving it. I'm studying to be a zoo vet, and she's being an avian vet… That's the reason for the bird in our room.

"Rawwh!" squealed Polly, greeting me. "Welcome home!" He preened his bright red chest and looked at me.

I smiled at Nat's macaw and looked back at Nat. "We kissed."

"Oooh, you _kissed,_" she mocked. "_Wow._"

I glared at her. "He's so much cuter now," I said, looking up at the ceiling and seeing heaven instead.

"_Please_ tell me you got his number," she said and paused in putting on mascara. She turned her head to me, an almost pleading expression on her face.

"Of course I did," I said, raising an eyebrow. "And where are _you _going? Out on a hot date with _Ryan_?"

"Of course," she replied, smirking and putting the cap of her ruby-red lipstick tube back on. "Am I ever _not _with him?"

"No." I shook my head fervently as I said this. Ryan was her rock-and-roll boyfriend that she had been with for three years.

"Ryan's hot," Polly said, bobbing his head up and down.

I doubled over, laughing. "When did you teach him to say _that_?"

"Oh, a little while ago," she said with a giggle. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet my lover."

"Have fun," I said and laid down on my bed, my hands resting on my stomach. My fingers were laced, like they were when Sean and I were slow dancing. Except that they were laced with Sean's instead of themselves. Sean's hands were a sort of comfort – Strong and warm. I sighed and smiled, quietly drifting off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: First Date

Chapter 4: First Date

"In the car, I just can't wait

To pick you up on our very first date

Is it cool if I hold your hand?

Is it wrong if I think it's lame to dance?

Do you like my stupid hair?

Would you guess that I didn't know what to wear?

I'm just scared of what you'll think

You make me nervous so I really can't eat."

- Blink 182, "First Date"

"Hello," a deep voice answered on the other line.

"H-hi," I said nervously, twisting the phone cord around my finger.

"What's up, Emma?" Sean asked blandly.

"Nothing much," I replied lamely. God… _That_ was my answer? "I was just wondering if… You wanted to go out tonight." My heart jumped as I asked him. I laughed nervously, like the bimbo that I am.

He laughed back, thankfully. "Sure," he said, a lighter tone to his voice. "Where?"

"Umm…" I thought. After a moment, I remembered. The phone cable was practically cutting off my circulation. "Do you want to come to dinner with me at Bella Noche?" It was a good Spanish restaurant, just around the block.

"I'd love to," he said. I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

I let out a loud sigh of relief, instantly wishing that it wasn't as loud. "Would it be okay if it was a double date with my friend Nat and her boyfriend Ryan?"

Silence.

I bit my lip. Did he not like double dates, or something? Was I being too straightforward? Thoughts pulsed through my mind as I listened hopefully for his voice.

"That'd be alright," he said softly.

I beamed.

"I'll pick you up at 7?" he asked me.

"That's… Fine," I said, having a hard time breathing.

"See you," he said and hung up.

I hung up, unable to believe it. Now… I just had to find the perfect outfit.

I struck a pose at the mirror, putting my hands behind my head and sticking my chest out a bit. I was wearing a miniskirt in a shade of soft beige, and a silky ribbon for a belt was tied at my right hip. I had on a matching bell-sleeve V-neck shirt in a shade of pale lime green, the same as the ribbon. I looked earthy, but in an almost sexy way. I struck another pose, this time putting my hands on my hips and turning my back to the mirror. I turned my upper half around, checking out how the outfit fit. It was perfect. I beamed and began to do my makeup.

I subconsciously wondered what Sean would wear as I put on some nude colored eye shadow. Nat was already ready; she was spending some time at Ryan's house before the date. They always fooled around before their dates. I rolled my eyes and pulled a thin mascara tube out of my cosmetics bag. I always wear a little bit, because if I wear too much, I get "spider legs."

As I got ready for my first date with Sean in years, thoughts raced through my mind. What will he wear? Will he like what I'm wearing? Will we have fun? I straightened my hair anxiously when I heard the door bell ring.

My heart immediately started racing. He was here to pick me up already! I walked quickly to the door and opened it a crack. Sure enough, he was standing there, a most likely nervous smile spread across his face.

I opened the door completely and flashed him a smile. "Hey."

He looked me up and down, his eyes widening. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks, you look really nice, too," I said as I felt my cheeks flush.

He let out a small chuckle and extended a hand to my face. His fingers followed the curve of my chin until they came underneath. He leaned in as he guided me towards him with his index finger under my chin, as if beckoning me. He then planted a tender kiss right on my lips, his Axe cologne filling my nose pleasantly. I wound my arms around his shoulders, not wanting this moment to end.

He pulled away, smiling at me. "We have to get going."

I nodded, my arms still around him. I let go of him with one hand, but held on with the other. As we walked out to his car (a dark green Audi), I smiled at random passersby. I had a feeling that I was going to have a _lot _of fun tonight.

"So then Don Juan said, "Who the hell is Bill Clinton?"" Ryan said, delivering the punch line to his joke effectively. Natalie, Sean, and I roared with laughter while Ryan smirked triumphantly.

Nat wiped tears from her eyes and asked him, "How do you come up with such great jokes, honey?"

He just leaned back, his hands behind his head. "I have a natural gift, I guess," he said, grinning toothily.

I smiled and looked at Sean. He was still slightly laughing, the corners of his eyes crinkling ever so lightly. I grinned at him and put my hand on his, which was lying near his glass of Coke. As my thumb gently stroked his hand, he looked at me and gave me a soft smile. I could practically feel my heart melt.

"Your nachos," the waiter mumbled, putting an enormous plate of tortilla chips drowned in sizzling, orange cheese in the center of our table. Everyone's eyes widened at the gigantic plate, and we all watched the cheese simmer, almost soaking into the chips.

"Thanks," Nat managed to say, eyeing the cheese as if it were filled with a mysterious drug. The waiter nodded briefly and bustled away. Ryan poked one of the chips, and it fell over the side of the dish, bubbling in the cheese, much to the comic relief of everyone at the table.

Sean tried to repress his laughter, but failed. "Are we really going to eat all of this?"

"Nope," I said, covering my mouth with my hand to stifle my own giggles. I picked up one of the chips and peeked under it, watching the oven-hot cheese trickle down in front of me and onto the white tablecloth, creating a noticeable stain. I laughed even harder and tried to wipe it with my equally-as-white napkin.

Ryan picked up a new chip and popped it into his mouth confidently. His face became strained as he clearly gulped it down. "Zesty," was all he said, blinking several times. Another peal of laughter sounded from our booth. Many people in the restaurant whipped around to look at us, giving us deadly glares. We quickly shut ourselves up, but Nat and I remained sniggering softly.

"You know," Ryan said nonchalantly, resting his hands behind his head and leaning back against the booth, "this food is complete shit."

"I know!" I agreed, scrunching my nose in disgust. "Do we _really_ have to keep eating here?"

"Not if we don't want to," he replied, leaning forward now. "We could go somewhere else, if you guys feel like it. How about that new club, _Culture Shock_?" he suggested, perking up instantly. "I've heard it's really cool in there."

"Whatever you say, sweetie pie," Nat said, nestling next to him and burying her face in between his shoulder and his neck. He grinned and stroked her arm softly.

I glanced at Sean, who gave me a knowing smirk in exchange. I smiled back and gazed at Nat and Ryan again. "I'm game."

"So am I," Sean concurred.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ryan asked rhetorically, instantaneously jumping out of the booth. "Let's just leave without paying."

I laughed slightly and looked back at Sean. He was on the outside of the booth, after all. He extended his hand to me and looked at me through his shaggy, dirty blonde hair, his ice blue eyes twinkling. I nearly swooned.

"Shall we go, then?" he asked, a smile creeping onto his compellingly kissable lips. I nodded and took his strong, warm hand, a small shiver crawling up my spine nonetheless.

I climbed out of Sean's car gingerly, making sure not to get my outfit or hair messed up. He came out after me, looking to the left of me. I turned and caught sight of the club.

The outside had a huge, neon yellow-and-green sign that clearly read Culture Shock. There were tiny fluorescent lights around the sign, this time pink and blue. Just glancing at the quickly flashing and blinking lights gave me a headache. As I pressed my hand to my temple, Sean asked what was wrong.

"Nothing," I said, forcing a smile and walking towards the door. He followed me and snaked his arm around my waist. I felt his warmth on the bare strip of skin that was showing between the end of my shirt and the beginning of my skirt, and I instantly relaxed.

"Names?" grunted the bouncer.

"Uhh… Erm…" I said, panicking again.

"They're with us." The sound of Ryan's deep voice was unambiguous now, and I turned to see Nat clinging onto him as if she were a barnacle. The bouncer nodded and let us through, giving me the evil eye. I cowered slightly and walked inside the club.

The loud, banging techno music was no shock to me, because of the look of the sign outside. It seemed to create a small earthquake within the crowded, sweaty club, seeing as how everyone was either dancing or at least tapping their feet or bobbing their heads. I slipped into one of the booths, which was electric blue and had a platinum silver table. Sean, Nat, and Ryan followed. A bar worker immediately came to our table, carrying a menu of what was obviously booze. He handed it to Nat and she looked it over once, her dark brown eyes darting to the different choices.

"I'll just have a Heineken," Ryan ordered, giving the waiter a small nod.

Nat was still searching through the menu. After a moment of silence, she looked up from it and smiled sheepishly, her laser-white teeth gleaming even in the darkness of the club.

"Oh," she said, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I'll have a cherry martini."

Sean ordered a Bud while I continued to decide.

"I'll just have a glass of water, thanks," I said, glancing around me and shifting uncomfortably in the puffy seat of the booth.

"Oh no," Nat said, shaking her head with a smirk. "You _never _get booze. Why don't you actually _live_ for once?"

I sighed. "Then I guess I'll have a screwdriver," I said, trying to shrug carelessly. Nat beamed and the waiter grabbed the menu back from her. Her smile immediately turned to a scowl.

"How rude," she stated, looking daggers at the man's back as he strolled away.

"Well, the club is… Crowded," Sean said, gazing at the packed dance floor. He was obviously searching for the right words to say. We all turned our heads behind us to the dancing people, watching them grind and occasionally make out with one another.

"Here are your drinks," the same waiter said, coming back with a tray full of different sized bottles and glasses. "A Heineken, Budweiser, cherry martini, and screwdriver." He placed the Bud down in front of Nat, the screwdriver in front of Ryan, the Heineken in front of me, and the cherry martini in front of Sean. We all switched drinks quickly as he walked away once again.

"What a dunce," Ryan said, glancing at the man with a raised eyebrow. We all laughed, as we usually do at his comedic ramblings.

"That's for sure," Sean agreed, popping the cap of his Bud and taking a long swig from it.

"Well," Nat began, "this is our first real double-date, you guys! Cheers!" she raised her martini glass quickly, the cherry inside of it bobbing simultaneously. We all smiled and raised our glasses, too.

"To us!" Ryan declared, lifting his bottle and his chin with a mock-proper expression on his face.

"To us!" Sean and I agreed at once, elevating our bottle and glass, too.

We all clanked our drinks together and watched them all swish in unison. I sipped my screwdriver, and automatically coughed. It was, as I predicted, very strong.

We sat and chatted for a good while, light conversation drifting between all of us. We basically just talked about TSVS, considering that Nat and I go to it. Sean seemed very interested in our college, which was a bit peculiar, because he owns his _own_ auto body shop now. In contrast, I was fascinated on that subject.

After a long time, Nat sighed and leaned back into the bulbous, blue padding of the booth. "I'm bored," she said with a toss of her gleaming, mocha colored hair.

"What do you say we go dance?" I suggested, looking around at everyone at our table. Silence followed, and I shrugged.

"Actually," Ryan began, leaning forward, "I have a sudden jolt of energy from that Heineken. Let's go."

We walked up to the dance floor, and immediately Nat and Ryan began to grind. Sean and I watched them do a few pelvic thrusts together, and there was suddenly an air of awkward silence between us. I blushed and looked down, hoping that the dark lighting in this club would hide most of my face.

"Don't be embarrassed."

I looked up quickly, my hair sticking to my overly-glossy lips. I brushed it away and gazed back at him.

"I'm not."

He smirked lightly and snaked his arms around my waist. He was standing behind me, and I began to sway my hips rhythmically to the loud, banging music. He danced smoothly with me, and our motions eventually flowed together.

The heat from our bodies fronted, and it was unbearable. I slipped my hand behind his head and pulled it forward gently as I turned my own head to the side. Our lips met softly, and I pressed my back a little bit harder on his chest. I drew my lips away from his for a split second to breathe, and then I proceeded to kiss him. His tongue dwelled with mine for a while as I turned to face him now. I drew back from his mouth and buried my head in his neck, overwhelmed by his passionate kisses. So far, this evening had turned out to be unbeatable, and I was planning to keep it that way.


End file.
